Whale
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
- For the biological order, see Cetacea.
| Cetaceans Fossil range: Early Eocene - Recent |
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 humpback whale breaching
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| Around 88 species; see list of cetaceans or below. | ||||||||||||||||
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Mysticeti |
Whales are marine mammals, because most of them live in the oceans.
The term whale can be used for all Cetaceans, or only for some. For all of the order, including dolphins and porpoises, see Cetacea.
They are often very large. Whales are not fish; like other mammals, they breathe oxygen from the air, and have a small amount of hair, and warm blood. Whales come in various shapes and sizes. Whales used to be killed for oil by whalers. However, many countries have passed laws saying that no one is allowed to kill whales anymore. Some people still do kill whales, even though it is illegal. Also, some countries have not made it illegal, while others make it legal only for native (indigenous) people.
[change] Whale behavior
Whales are widely classed as predators, but their food ranges from microscopic plankton to very large fish. Males are called bulls; females, cows. The young are called calves. Because of their environment (and unlike many animals), whales are conscious breathers: they decide when to breathe. All mammals sleep, including whales, but they cannot afford to fall into an unconscious state for too long, since they need to be conscious in order to breathe. It is thought that only one hemisphere of their brains sleeps at a time, so that whales are never completely asleep, but still get the rest they need. Whales are thought to sleep around 8 hours a day
- Baleen whales: The big whales (like the Blue whale). They feed on krill, and don't have teeth.
- Toothed whales: Whales with teeth that feed on fish.
[change] Other websites
- ARKive - images and movies of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
- American Cetacean Society
- British Cetacean Site especially interesting is taxonomy
- Cetacea.org homepage
- Walker's Mammals of the World Online - Cetaceans
- Tursiops.org: Current Cetacean-related news
- Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises and Cetaceans Forum
